The cruise industry lives under the constant fear of illness breaking out on ships.
The industry had taken major steps to prevent outbreaks since long before anyone had heard of covid. But they can happen no matter what protocols are in place.
Norovirus outbreaks, while extremely rare, don't play well in the media. They are sort of like a plane crash. The airline takes a public-relations hit that does not reflect how safe air traffic is overall. It's not as if the airline can put out a statement that says "sorry about your loss, but please note that 99.94% of our flights land safely without any sort of fiery death."
Royal Caribbean Group (RCL), Carnival Cruise Line (CCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) led the cruise industry in evolving their safety protocols to avoid illness, even the non-serious kind, largely because it's good for business. When covid hit, at first the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set the rules for U.S. sailings while other countries had their own requirements.
In recent months, the entire industry has largely done away with covid protocols. That does not mean the threat of the virus has gone away, but the cruise lines have had to do the complicated math on how taking every precaution and maximizing revenue don't generally line up.
The safest choice would be to require passengers to be vaccinated and boosted while mandating masks in crowded indoor areas.
That, however, does not match what's happening on land-based vacations, so Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and the rest of the industry have to be as safe as they can be. And they have spent tens, perhaps hundreds, of millions on cleaning, air filtration, and other virus-mitigation methods.
Local authorities, of course, also play a part, and that has forced Carnival and Royal Caribbean to bring back mask rules on certain cruises.
Image source: Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Where the Cruise Industry Now Stands on Covid
While covid remains a major presence on ships sailing from the U.S., the cruise lines have dropped most rules. Neither vaccinations nor testing is required by Carnival or Royal Caribbean, and while the companies do ask about vaccination status, they don't require proof.
If a passenger exhibits covid-like symptoms while boarding or onboard, a test could be mandated, but on a broad level, the rules have largely gone back to what they were prepandemic.
That goes for the crew as well. Mask rules for crew members have been dropped and the strict quarantines that could last two weeks have been replaced by soft quarantines (generally isolated meals and mask-wearing for 5 to 7 days, varying by each cruise line).
These changes have happened because the U.S. has gotten to the point where covid has simply become less of a risk. Vaccinations and improved treatments have lowered the risk of severe illness or death while hospitals generally have the space they need to treat serious cases.
That's true in the U.S. but it's not as true around the world, which explains why certain Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises -- those sailing out of Australia and New Zealand -- have brought back some mask protocols.
Royal Caribbean and Carnival: Return of the Mask
Australia and New Zealand kept the cruise industry grounded longer than the U.S. did largely due to the capacities of their health-care systems and the vaccination status of their populations. Cruises have largely returned to somewhat normal operations, but recent outbreaks have led to a return of some covid-related rules, The Points Guy reported.
"On Nov. 17, both Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line reactivated their mask policies for Coral Princess, Majestic Princess, Grand Princess, Carnival Splendor, and Carnival Luminosa, all of which are based in Australia and New Zealand," the website reported.
Royal Caribbean has followed but with a recommendation, not a rule, according to a statement from the company.
Royal Caribbean recommends guests sailing in Australia wear masks at the cruise terminal when embarking and disembarking, and in public indoor spaces and crowded outdoor spaces on board. Some destinations we visit may require guests to wear masks.
The cruise line’s additional layers of health and safety measures exceed other vacation experiences, including the routine monitoring and vaccination of all crew members and keeping them up to date with boosters when they are eligible, enhanced testing and treatment capabilities in our onboard medical facilities, and more.
Both cruise lines are requiring masks in any indoor public setting on sailings leaving from Australia or New Zealand. The entire industry had been shut down in those countries for more than two years before returning earlier this year.
And while these changes do not affect any North American sailings, they are a stark reminder that upticks in covid cases can force the resumption of certain protocols.
A resumption may not be imminent in the U.S., but it's possible, even if the CDC stays out of it. That's because just a few high-profile outbreaks (even if serious illness is minimal) can force changes.
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